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stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Jon and Jen » Sun Aug 12, 2018 3:20 pm

Neist point has hundreds of the buggers. One came in handy to weigh down our tent after a gale snapped the poles a few weeks ago and we had to abandon ship. Can't say I'm a fan. There is one on the plateau of Jocks road, built no doubt to make an instagram picture stand out. :crazy:

We go walking to get away from human influence, not to see others interpretations of nature. It's not like it takes any skill to stack a few rocks. Going around digging holes would be frowned upon and requires no more skill or 'artistic' talent.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Giant Stoneater » Sun Aug 12, 2018 3:59 pm

Over the last couple of years I have been to Pucks Glen and everything was fine but the last time I was there a couple of months ago I shocked to see they have been sprouting up through his lovely gorge,i have vowed that if I visit again I shall remove them.Don't see the need for them and the painted stones phenomenon is just making things worse and people can't there head round that one stone will lead to a thousand stones.

Fairy Glen on Skye is a classic example where the stone circle gets removed by locals all the time only for it to reappear again and again.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Moriarty » Sun Aug 12, 2018 4:06 pm

al78 wrote:
CharlesT wrote:'Tis odd behaviour but relatively harmless and who hasn't added a stone to a cairn at times?


Me.


Me neither.

I don't understand the compulsion to leave a trace when passing through - didn't understand that with hill cairns, stone piling even less.

Neist Point looks like a migratory herd has trampled through leaving little pointy piles of dullard poo behind.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby crfishwick » Sun Aug 12, 2018 4:14 pm

It seems the majority on this forum are in favour of not building unnecessary cairns etc. I know what lets have a campaign to remove them. :wink: I can remember a about 15 years ago a bloke had his own campaign of knocking them down. I wonder if he is still at it?

Also "LUV locks" or something similar are being fastened to bridge structures nowadays. Plenty in Glen Nevis. :crazy: I have quite a collection of locks after picking 'em. :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Driftwood » Sun Aug 12, 2018 5:09 pm

I've read that Percy Unna, who drew up the original the NTS rules for managing upland areas, loathed the building of cairns along paths, and would deconstruct them with his boots.

Personally, I do give summit cairns a pat, or tap, but haven't felt the need to add to any. I can't deny that some time in the open air is very therapeutic, but it doesn't need to be intrusive, especially in places that are visited for their perceived wildness.

Moving rocks around can interfere with lichen growing over them, or the invertebrates living underneath, some practical reasons to back up "leave no trace".
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Robinho08 » Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:06 pm

As much as I dislike rock stacking, if you read David Lintern's latest peice on here, you'll realise there is more pressing and damaging issues facing wild places. :(
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Skyelines » Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:30 pm

Robinho08 wrote:As much as I dislike rock stacking, if you read David Lintern's latest peice on here, you'll realise there is more pressing and damaging issues facing wild places. :(


I would suggest that there is a connection.
The only difference between making a stack of stones that affects another person's enjoyment of the place and the construction of hydro power infrastructure is a matter of scale which is reflected in the amount of damage done.
The underlying factors are a lack of understanding and appreciation of wild places and self interest.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby crfishwick » Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:47 pm

Robinho08 wrote:As much as I dislike rock stacking, if you read David Lintern's latest peice on here, you'll realise there is more pressing and damaging issues facing wild places. :(


Obviously but by trying to snip these "outrages" in the bud the less problems in the future. :wink: Certain Landowners in Scotland and companies have been scarring the landscape with impunity with no interference by the Scottish Government for years.:crazy:

Hey Ho, Humans have been destroying wild places for eons. Some won't be satisfied until it's all under concrete. :roll: :roll:
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Soldier of fortune » Sun Aug 12, 2018 8:17 pm

There used to be in the forest behind Ballachulish an impessive display of stacked slate, it must have taken years for them to be assembled, Scottish Water must have thought otherwise because they were flattened. Perhaps the Foresty Commission used them to hide the rubbish behind them but I doubt it because they had been growing there slowly for years.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby mynthdd2 » Mon Aug 13, 2018 7:04 am

I don't like them at all - not sure I am grumpy enough to knock them over though (yet)
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby al78 » Mon Aug 13, 2018 11:43 am

Robinho08 wrote:As much as I dislike rock stacking, if you read David Lintern's latest peice on here, you'll realise there is more pressing and damaging issues facing wild places. :(


https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Not_as_bad_as
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Sunset tripper » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:12 pm

al78 wrote:
Robinho08 wrote:As much as I dislike rock stacking, if you read David Lintern's latest peice on here, you'll realise there is more pressing and damaging issues facing wild places. :(


https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Not_as_bad_as


Though the stones are of no big concern to me, I agree with Robinho - it's called prioritising :D
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Moriarty » Mon Aug 13, 2018 6:03 pm

Sunset tripper wrote:Though the stones are of no big concern to me, I agree with Robinho - it's called prioritising :D


I note you've prioritised this discussion as worthy of comment. I do hope it hasn't taken you away from any social media commentary (or real life action) that might save the planet.

This is just a forum to gas in - posting in it will not stop Golf courses, hydro schemes or (your priority based on your posts) councils charging for parking.

It might just about make people think about what they are doing and reflect on small things (but it probably will not).

Real life action is needed if you care about those money and politics driven issues - but people can effect an impact by changing small things.

Pitching up on a pantomime high horse and patting yourself on the back certainly contributes absolutely nada regardless.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Fife Flyer » Mon Aug 13, 2018 7:20 pm

I can kind of see how they can be useful in near zero visibility if they are located sensibly, the obvious counter argument is you shouldn't be relying on cairns to navigate, but they are sometimes reassuring.
Having said that, I was at Lochnagar recently and the number of small pointless cairns on the buttress south of the loch is ridiculous, they are about every 20m.
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Re: stone stacking on beaches, bad or ok?

Postby Tinman » Mon Aug 13, 2018 7:56 pm

OK I've finally bitten on this one.

What the bloody hell has golf courses got to do with this?

Whilst I appreciate golf is not everyone's cup of tea, it is still a game enjoyed by many from all walks of life involving some form of exercise and much banter by albeit, alas these days, generally ageing folk of which I am one. Golf for many is good company.

As to the actual subject matter, for the record I often add stones to both summit cairns & those on route. Re the latter, I do so as strangely, & especially in mist, I find it quite reassuring to see the odd cairn now and again so that I know I am still on the right track (No different really from the reassurance gained from following a line of fence posts). Being older, & therefore set in my ways, I still use a map & compass so any other traditional way of helping with route finding (in mist) is OK with me.

Note I did say the odd cairn. Those leading from the summit of Cairn Gorm to the mountain cafe are, even for me, a little OTT.

As for "Stone stacking"; could I ask where Stonehenge fits in to all this? Is this World Heritage Site to be knocked over as well?
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